Street-car and similar vehicle.



L. P. LIP PS.

STREEI CAR AND SIMILAR VEHICLE.

Patented Apf. 17, 1917.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-30.191!- cmrzir Aq RNEY.

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A; HIS

v To all whom. it may concern:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS IP. LIPPS, 0F CLEVEIlAND, OHIO, ASSIGNO R TO HIMSELF AS TRUSTEE.

STREET-CAR AND SIMILAR VEHICLE.

Application filed January 30, 1917. Serial No. 145,508.

Be it known that I, LOUIS P. LIPPS, a

citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a new 'and useful Improvement in Street Cars and Similar Vehicles, of which a full, clear, and

exact description, wherein reference is made todrawlngs that accompany and are to be I considered as a part of the specifications, is hereinafter set forth as follows.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a form of street-car whose increased seating and carrying capacity shall 'more nearly correspond with the width of the streets where the same are to be used, as compared with cars whose dimensions are confined to and limited by the narrower streets of other cities and localities.

In the instalment of street railway lines, the width between rails, and the so-called devil-strip or interspaces, for the most part, are constant factors, without regard to the transverse dimensions of the street over all. As is well understood, however, these latter measurements vary not only in diflerent cities, but in different streets or portions of streets in the same city. The older and chief business streets in Boston, Philadelphia or side of the railway tracks for the passage of wider cars, if wider cars would result in any important gain in the comfort and welfare of that great majority whose use of streets is to be carried thereon by street-cars, rather than by automobiles.

While, therefore, the part of the streets required for the rails and said interspaces,- is the same everywhere, and, is fixed and unyielding, the balance of the streets, in most cases, can be drawn-upon to a limited extent, if need be, for the use of larger cars.

-This, however, has not been done, but, as a rule, the cars used are always of a stand- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr, 17, 1917.

interior arrangement thereof, which shall be adapted to tracks and'the prevailing measurements for the spaces between the same and their rails, and, also, in some cases, for conditions where single-tracks only are feasible. A form, at the same time, which will materially reduce the number of standing passengers, enlarge the total carrying capacity of the car itself, and increase the number of seats, by fully one-third of the number now furnished.

In the accompanying drawings, illustratl ve of my plan, Figure 1 is a sectional plan view of a car-body, containing the special arrangement above referred to, and Fig. 2 1s a vertical cross sectional view of a similar car-body when related to its trucks in the manner called for ma special embodiment at a point which is centrally located with respect to the supporting trucks, and,. subordinate support at points at each side of the main, or central support referred to, one or the other of the latter supports, (according' to the tip of the car-body) coacting with the central support, to sustain said body at all times.

The invention, broadly speaking, consists of a car-body of sufficient floor dimensions to permit of the usual longitudinal seats or benches at the sides, and, also of a row of similar seats near to and parallel with said side-seats or benches, with interruptions, at stated distances, in said row to serve as -pas-' sagewavs, to and from the'rear and an aisle space, the length of'said floor, between the interrupted row, and the other longitudinal seat or bench opposite. Obviously this form of interior arrangement is available for any car-body without reference to other features, and it is claimed generally accordingly. The arrangement is, also, an essential element of a form of an entire car which I also claim herein. Said invention further-consists of a car mounted onthe trucks with its longituouter wheels. The rear view of a car body thus mounted, will present the configuration of a car from which a uniform section has been removed, or lopped off, at one side of the body, leaving the car, as a whole, onesided, or lop-sided, by reason of the resulting preponderance of the other side.

Normally, the amount of the eccentricity involved, or the distance between said longitudinal lines will be one-half the difference between the two. sides from the center line of the trucks. If, for instance, the dimensions are those of the figures herein, then, the Width of the floors on the sides of the center line of the trucks, being, respectively, 5 ft. 1 in. and 4 ft., the eccentricity involved will be one-half their difference, namelyfii; inches.

Explaining the arrangements, and the various parts involved, B is the car body, and C the car as a whole, which, in every detail, is drawn to a scale, and represents, in respect to form, length, construction, dimensions and location of doors, side-seats, etc., an accepted type of car in extensive use. The distance, between bulkheads, is 33 feet, and, the floor space of the car -body B, on the devil-strip side, is four feet, from the center line of the truck to the side, which dimension is the same as the corresponding portion of said type.

The other portion of the floor-space, from said center line to the other side of the car, is wider than said standard, being five feet one inch, thereby giving a total width of nine feet one inch, as compared with the eight-foot floor of the type of car referred to. The fare-boX F, is located centrally of the rear platform P, with a door at the side of the same.

Interiorly, there are long seats, or benches S, S at the sides, representing seats for twenty-two on each bench, and, immediately in front of one of said benches S at a suitable distance to afford clearance to the seated passengers, preferably, however, without affording room for passengers to stand therein, is a third row of seats S S etc., through the length of the car-body, with interruptions at, a, etc., at suitable intervals, through which passengers may enter to or leave the seats S These interruptions a, a, are preferable as to their number and relative place, but, as will be apparent, in the forms shown, or equivalent forms, they are indispensable features to the better efficiency of the arrangement as generally indicated. They will doubtless be popular and tend to induce standing passengers to distribute themselves through the car more evenly, since such recess-like spaces,at intervals, will insure their standing tenants against being crowded or swayed by the general mass, and, give them the first chance to vacancies in the nearby seats as vacancies occur. 1

naaeaee the car-body l3 must be widened, and, when it is to be used with a double-track system, it must, as said, be eccentrically related to the trucks T, byone-half the amount of the increase in width, without, of course, changing the amount of the overhang on the devil strip side.

The total carrying capacity of a wide onesided car of this description, will be materially increased even though no changes in the provision for, or arrangement of seats is made from the present designs, but, in connection with the particular plan I have just explained, the comparative gains and advantages of my car, over cars of the same length, as now made, are also of decided importance.

As can be verified, of course,by a reference to the scale-dimensions on the drawings herewith-my described car will increase, for instance, the number of seats 32 per cent. the total number of passengers 7 per cent, and, at the same time, will reduce the number who must stand, say, 9 per cent, which I are cumulated advantages of high value in the transportation art, and obtainable, otherwise, only by increasing the length of present cars fully one-third, which, of course, is manifestly an untenable proposition.

Although I have shown and described a particular seating arrangement, in connection with the off-side car itself, except as specially claimed, I do not intend to limit the latter idea, in a broad sense, to a comhil nation with such, or other arrangement, nor, though I show a special arrangement for seating, do I mean to confine that idea to a car eccentrically related to its trucks, since,

where local conditions admit of a sufficiently wide symmetrical car, it is plain that such seating arrangement would have its full. value as when the necessary width was only obtainable by the eccentric car. I also intend to claim the invention when applied to other vehicles than street cars.

Having thus described the invention what I claim, and wish to protect by Letters Pattent is 1. In a street-car, or similar vehicle, the combination of seats along the sides thereof, longitudinally arranged seats in front of the seats along one of the sides, an aisle between said seats in front and the seats along the other side, with spaces at intervals, between said seats in front, to permit egress and in-. gress therethrough from and to the seats beyond, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a street-car, having the body thereof mounted upon the trucks with the center line thereof off the center line of the trucks, the

combination of seats at the sides, seats intermediate thereof, an aisle between the intermediate seats and the seats at one side of the car, and suitable means of egress and ingress from and to said aisle and the seats beyond, substantially as shown and described.

3. A street car, or similar vehicle, mounted eccentrically on its trucks, having longitudinally arranged seats at the sides, and

also intermediately thereof, said intermediately arranged seats being interrupted at intervals, to aflord passage therethrough, substantially as shown and described.

4. A street-car, or similar vehicle, mounted eccentrically on its trucks, having longitudinally arranged seats at the sides, longitudinally arranged seats intermediate of the and described. 7

- LOUIS P. LIPPS. In presence of- WM. G. ST'UBER, DAVID PERRIS. 

